“AHS: Cult” Mass Shooting Scene Edited in Wake of Vegas Massacre

As is common following national tragedies and acts of senseless violence, Hollywood is taking pre-emptive measures to keep from exacerbating frayed anxieties. One of the most immediate responses to last week’s massacre in Las Vegas is the editing of an upcoming episode of American Horror Story: Cult; showrunner Ryan Murphy confirmed to Deadline that a scene involving a mass shooting on tomorrow night’s episode has softened.

“I believe I have the right to air it. But I also believe in victims’ rights and I believe that now is not the week to have something explosive or incendiary in the culture,” he said during a New Yorker Festival conversation with TV critic Emily Nussbaum. The shooting sequence was devised and shot months before the Las Vegas incident, he said. After discussions with Fox execs and other members of the team behind the show, the episode was re-edited to have the violence de-emphasized and occur largely off-screen.